Takeover talk won't fly, Lake Tech tells LSCC

February 13, 2009|By Denise-Marie Balona, Sentinel Staff Writer

TAVARES -- The head of Lake Technical Center was riled after learning that Lake-Sumter Community College's president may have been meeting with local leaders about taking over the 40-year-old trade school.

Lake Tech Director Terry E. Miller fired off a letter to LSCC President Chuck Mojock, saying he wanted to be included in any future meetings about the school.

Miller told the Orlando Sentinel this week that it appeared Mojock was making a grab for the technical center, which is part of the Lake County school district and offers classes in areas including welding, car repair and nursing, mostly for adults.

For his part, Mojock denied wanting to take over the school. But Sheriff Gary Borders, whose office helps run Lake Tech's law-enforcement-training program, insisted that was what he and Mojock discussed over breakfast about two weeks ago.

"Dr. Mojock, when I met with him -- he was pretty much telling me they were going to approach the School Board or the charter board [of Lake Tech] about taking over the tech center," Borders said. "Honestly, we didn't get that detailed into it. He was there to tell me they were pursuing it."

A misunderstanding?

Word of Mojock's meetings with Borders and Phyllis Baum, president of Lake Tech's governing board, spread across the county during the past week. Miller said he tried to calm his employees' concerns during a recent faculty meeting.

"It's unfortunate we find ourselves in this situation, and I certainly hope we can work together with the college to resolve it," Miller said.

He added he hoped the situation was simply the result of a misunderstanding.

Mojock said things got blown out of proportion. He sent a letter Tuesday explaining to Miller that he had approached Baum to ask about arranging a meeting between board members of the trade school and the community college.

He said the two groups need to research ways they can work together to improve the local work force.

"We're trying to open doors, and we need to do that by communicating," Mojock said.

Lake Tech's buildings are owned by the school district, which also pays the trade school's employees. As a charter school, though, Lake Tech is independently operated. Major decisions are made by its board members.

School Board chief: No go

Though the facility runs much like a community college, it can't offer academic degrees. Some of its largest programs are those that help students prepare for jobs in health care and public-service areas such as law enforcement and firefighting.

A couple of years ago, the community college offered to partner with Lake Tech on a joint nursing program, Mojock said in his letter to Miller. But Miller hasn't seemed interested.

Miller did indicate, though, that he would like to use community-college classrooms at LSCC's South Lake campus to offer Lake Tech classes there, Mojock wrote.

Lake Tech is in Eustis, and its Institute of Public Safety is in Tavares.

School Board Chairwoman Kyleen Fischer said she wouldn't support allowing LSCC to take over Lake Tech.

In fact, she wants to help Lake Tech grow. Fischer has said several times recently that she wants the school district to better market Lake Tech to high-school students, who can take classes at their high schools and the technical center through a dual-enrollment program. The two campuses are in an ideal location to serve several high schools, Fischer said.

'Fresh look' needed?

Fischer also worries that if the community college took over, Lake Tech could lose some of its programs.

"I think the tech center has served the community very well," Fischer said.

Mojock stressed that officials need to take a "fresh look" at how career training is offered in Lake County.

"I do believe that LSCC has unique resources to offer in an enhanced role in responding to the needs of our students and businesses," Mojock wrote to Miller. "How can we not bring our Boards together to participate in this discussion?"